Electronic apparatus

ABSTRACT

According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes a casing provided with a through-hole, an accessory to be attached to the casing so as to be separable from the casing, a locking member which is provided so as to be slidably movable with respect the casing, and catches the accessory so as to prevent the accessory from being separated from the casing, or releases the accessory, and a wire with a catching section provided with a catching section which catches the edge section of the through-hole or releases the edge section of the through-hole. The through-hole is formed in the casing in such a manner that the catching section which has caught the edge section of the through-hole is arranged at a midway position on the movement route of the locking member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-310643, filed Nov. 30, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

One embodiment of the present invention relates to an electronic apparatus provided with a wire with an antitheft catching section.

2. Description of the Related Art

In, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-75669, an electronic apparatus which is prevented from being stolen by means of a so-called Kensington lock is disclosed. This electronic apparatus is provided with a main body, a floppy (registered trade name)-disk drive which is detachably mounted on the main body, a holding section formed into a C-shape in the main body so that the floppy-disk drive can be slid thereon, and an attachment metal part to be connected to the Kensington lock. The floppy-disk drive has a recess in the underside. The holding section has a through-hole at a position thereof corresponding to the recess of the floppy-disk drive. The attachment metal part is provided in close vicinity to the underside of the main body. The attachment metal part has a hook at a distal end thereof, and the hook can be engaged with the recess via the through-hole.

This electronic apparatus is fixed to a security lock wire through the recess of the floppy-disk drive, and hence not only the electronic apparatus itself but also the floppy-disk drive can be prevented from being stolen.

However, in the above conventional electronic apparatus, an attachment metal part is separately needed, thereby increasing the number of parts. Further, because the attachment metal part protrudes from the underside of the main body, the thickness dimension of the electronic apparatus increases, and moreover there is the possibility of the electronic apparatus becoming wobble when the apparatus is placed on a flat desk or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A general architecture that implements the various feature of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view showing a portable computer according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary perspective view showing the portable computer shown in FIG. 1 from below.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the portable computer shown in FIG. 2 taken in the vertical direction.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the portable computer shown in FIG. 3 in a state where a wire with a catching section is removed therefrom, and a locking member is slid.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a portable computer according to a second embodiment taken in the vertical direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments according to the invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. In general, according to one embodiment of the invention, an electronic apparatus includes a casing provided with a through-hole, an accessory to be attached to the casing so as to be separable from the casing, a locking member which is provided so as to be slidably movable with respect the casing, and catches the accessory so as to prevent the accessory from being separated from the casing, or releases the accessory, and a wire with a catching section provided with a catching section which catches the edge section of the through-hole or releases the edge section of the through-hole. The through-hole is formed in the casing in such a manner that the catching section which has caught the edge section of the through-hole is arranged at a midway position on the movement route of the locking member.

A first embodiment of an electronic apparatus will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. As shown in FIG. 1, a portable computer 11 which is an example of an electronic apparatus is a so-called notebook-sized personal computer.

The portable computer 11 includes a main body unit 12, a display unit 13, and hinge sections 14 provided between the main body unit 12 and the display unit 13. The hinge sections 14 support the display unit 13, and the display unit 13 can be turned with respect to the main body unit 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the display unit 13 includes a liquid crystal display 15, and a cover 16 surrounding the liquid crystal display 15.

The main body unit 12 includes a casing 21, a through-hole 22 formed in the side surface of the casing 21, an opening section 23 provided in the underside of the casing 21, a printed circuit board 24 contained in the casing 21, a keyboard 25 attached to the casing 21, a touch pad 26 and buttons 27 which are pointing devices, a battery pack 28 which is an accessory to be attached to the casing 21, a locking member 29 provided so as to be slidably movable with respect to the casing 21, and a wire 30 with a catching section to be attached to the through-hole 22. On the printed circuit board 24, main circuit components such as a CPU (central processing unit) are mounted.

The battery pack 28 is an example of an accessory to be attached to the casing 21 so as to be detachable from the casing 21. The battery pack 28 includes a reception section 28A to be caught on a claw section 29A of the locking member 29 to be described later, and a battery main body 28B. The accessory is not limited to the battery pack 28. The accessory may be a floppy-disk drive, hard disk drive, or expanded memory.

The casing 21 is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin into a box-like shape. The casing 21 has a mounting section 21D for mounting the battery pack 28. The through-hole 22 is formed in the side surface 21A of the casing 21. The through-hole 22 is a so-called security lock slot. The through-hole 22 is formed into an oblong shape elongated in the width direction. The casing 21 further has an edge section 21B for defining a periphery of the through-hole 22, and a catching section 37 of the wire 30 with a catching section to be described later catches the edge section 21B.

The wire 30 with a catching section is a so-called Kensington lock or security wire lock. As shown in FIG. 3, the wire with a catching section includes a wire main body 33 made of metal, and a lock section 34 provided at the distal end of the wire main body 33. The lock section 34 is formed into, for example, a cylindrical shape. The lock section 34 includes a lock section main body 35, a keyhole (not shown) formed in the lock section main body 35, and a catching section 37 which is rotated by inserting a dedicated key into the keyhole. The catching section 37 includes a shaft section 37A, and an arm section 37B extending in both the right and left directions from the distal end of the shaft section 37A, thereby being formed into a “T”-shape. The catching section 37 catches the edge section 21B around the through-hole 22 in a state where the arm section 37B is arranged in the vertical direction. In this state, the catching section 37 is arranged at a midway position on the movement route of the locking member 29 to be described later. In a state where the arm section 37B is arranged in the lateral direction, the catching section 37 releases the edge section 21B, and can be passed through the through-hole 22.

The locking member 29 is arranged in the vicinity of the side surface 21A of the casing 21. The locking member 29 includes a finger catch section 29B exposed from an opening section 23 of the casing 21 on the underside 21C of the casing 21, a claw section 29A extending from the finger catch section 29B in an “L”-shape, and a spring 29C for energizing the finger catch section 29B and the claw section 29A in the closing direction. A user can operate the locking member 29 by catching the finger catch section 29B by his or her finger. The claw section 29A of the locking member 29 can catch the battery pack 28 which is an accessory so as to prevent the battery pack 28 from being separated, or can release the battery pack 28. The spring 29C is stretched between a proximal end of the claw section 29A and the inside of the casing 21.

Subsequently, the function of the locking member 29 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. As shown in FIG. 3, in the state where the catching section 37 of the wire 30 with a catching section is inserted into the through-hole 22, and catches the edge section 21B around the through-hole 22, the catching section 37 is arranged at a midway position on the movement route of the locking member 29. Accordingly, even when the user catches the finger catch section 29 by his or her finger, the locking member 29 interferes with the catching section 37. Thus, the locking member 29 cannot be slid to be moved. That is, in the state where the wire 30 with a catching section is fixed in the through-hole 22, the battery pack 28 cannot be separated from the casing 21.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the state where the wire 30 with a catching section is removed from the through-hole 22, no obstacle is present on the movement route of the locking member 29. Accordingly, the user can catch the finger catch section 29B by his or her finger to slide the locking member 29. At the same time, a second locking member 38 shown in FIG. 2 is slid to be moved. In this state, the user can separate the battery pack 28 from the casing 21.

Incidentally, when the battery pack 28 is to be fixed, an operation is performed in a procedure reverse to the above. That is, the battery pack 28 is attached to the mounting section 21D of the casing 21. Further, the claw section 29A of the locking member 29 is inserted into the reception section 28A of the battery pack 28, thereby locking the battery pack 28. Further, the wire 30 with a catching section is inserted into the through-hole 22, thereby terminating the operation.

Above is the embodiment of the portable computer 11 which is an example of an electronic apparatus. According to the first embodiment, the portable computer 11 includes the casing 21 provided with the through-hole 22 and the edge section 21B defining the periphery of the through-hole 22, an accessory to be attached to the casing 21 so as to be separable from the casing 21, the locking member 29 which is provided so as to be slidably movable with respect to the casing 21, and catches the accessory so as to prevent the accessory from being separated from the casing 21, or releases the accessory, and the wire 30 with a catching section having the catching section 37 which catches the edge section 21B of the through-hole 22 or releases the edge section 21B of the through-hole 22, and the through-hole 22 is formed in the casing 21 in such a manner that the catching section 37 which has caught the edge section 21B of the through-hole 22 is arranged at a midway position on the movement route of the locking member 29.

According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent not only the portable computer 11 itself but also the accessory attached to the casing 21 from being stolen. Further, no measure is needed to be taken separately, and the accessory can be fixed simply and quickly. Further, no part such as an attachment metal part is required to fix the accessory, and hence it is possible to contribute to reduction in the number of components.

In this case, the locking member 29 has a finger catch section 29B to be operated by a finger at a position corresponding to the underside 21C of the casing 21, and the through-hole 22 is formed in the side surface 21A of the casing 21. According to this configuration, the through-hole 22 in which the wire 30 with a catching section is to be fixed can be arranged on the side surface 21A of the casing 21, and hence it can be made easy for the user to access the through-hole 22.

In this case, the locking member 29 is arranged in the vicinity of the side surface 21A of the casing 21. According to this configuration, it is easily possible to employ a layout in which the catching section 37 is arranged at a midway position on the movement route of the locking member 29.

Subsequently, a second embodiment of the electronic apparatus will be described below with reference to FIG. 5 by taking a case where the present invention is applied to a portable computer as an example. A portable computer 41 which is an example of the electronic apparatus of the second embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in including a cylinder lock 42, but is identical with that of the first embodiment in other parts. Therefore, the second embodiment will be described below about the parts different from those of the first embodiment. The same parts as those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference symbols and a description of them will be omitted.

The portable computer 41 of the second embodiment has the same external appearance as that shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the portable computer 41 is provided with a cylinder lock 42 which is an example of a lock inside a casing 21. The cylinder lock 42 includes a case 43, a latching section 44 for latching a battery pack 28 which is an accessory, a keyhole 45 formed in the case 43 so as to operate the latching section 44, and an edge section 43A defining a periphery of the keyhole 45. In this embodiment, a through-hole 22 of the casing 21 is formed at a position corresponding to the keyhole 45 of the cylinder lock 42. A catching section 37 of a wire 30 with a catching section is passed through the through-hole 22, and catches the edge section 43A of the case 43, or releases the edge section 43A.

In this embodiment, the catching section 37 of the wire 30 with a catching section is inserted into the keyhole 45, and hence the catching section 37 is not arranged at a midway position on the movement route of a locking member 29. The cylinder lock 42 further includes a working mechanism (not shown), and the working mechanism advances or retreats the latching section 44 according to whether the catching section 37 catches the edge section 43A of the case 43 or releases the edge section 43A. The latching section 44 is made to be at a first position P1 at which the latching section 44 catches a battery pack 28 so as to prevent the battery pack 28 from being separated from the casing 21, or is made to be at a second position P2 at which the latching section 44 releases the battery pack 28 by the operation of the working mechanism.

Functions of the cylinder lock 42 and the locking member 29 will be described below with reference to FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the user can slide and move the locking member 29 by catching the finger catch section 29B of the locking member 29 by his or her finger. However, the latching section 44 of the cylinder lock 42 catches a reception section 28A of the battery pack 28, and hence the battery pack 28 cannot be separated from the casing 21.

In a state where the wire 30 with a catching section is removed from the through-hole 22 of the casing 21 and the keyhole 45 of the cylinder lock 42, the latching section 44 of the cylinder lock 42 is contained in the case 43 and releases the reception section 28A of the battery pack 28. In this state, when the user catches the finger catch section 29B by his or her finger to slide and move the locking member 29, the locked state of the battery pack 28 is canceled. In the manner described above, the battery pack 28 can be separated from the casing 21.

Conversely, when the battery pack 28 is to be attached to the casing 21, the battery pack 28 is attached to the mounting section 21D of the casing 21 in a state where the locking member 29 is slid and moved. Further, when the finger is detached from the locking member 29, a claw section 29A of the locking member 29 catches the reception section 28A of the battery pack 28. Further, the catching section 37 of the wire 30 with a catching section is inserted into the through-hole 22 of the casing 21 and the keyhole 45 of the cylinder lock 42. A dedicated key (not shown) is inserted into a keyhole of the wire 30 with a catching section, and the catching section 37 is rotated 90 degrees. As a result of this, the catching section 37 catches the edge section 43A of the case 43 of the cylinder lock 42, and the working mechanism operates to cause the latching section 44 to catch the reception section 28A of the battery pack 28. As a result, mounting of the battery pack 28 is completed.

According to the second embodiment, the portable computer 41 includes the casing 21 provided with the through-hole 22, an accessory to be attached to the casing 21 so as to be separable from the casing 21, the lock provided inside the casing 21, and including the latching section 44 made to be at a first position P1 at which the latching section 44 catches the accessory so as to prevent the accessory from being separated from the casing 21, or is made to be at a second position P2 at which the latching section 44 releases the accessory, the keyhole 45 for causing the latching section 44 to operate, and the edge section 43A defining the periphery of the keyhole 45, and the wire 30 with a catching section provided with the catching section 37 which is passed through the through-hole 22, and catches the edge section 43A of the keyhole 45, or releases the edge section 43A, and the catching section 37 moves the latching section 44 of the lock between the first position P1 and the second position P2 by catching the edge section 43A of the keyhole 45 or by releasing the edge section 43A thereof.

According to this configuration, the accessory can be prevented from being separated from the casing 21 by the lock provided inside the casing 21. As a result of this, it is possible to prevent not only the portable computer 11 itself but also the accessory from being stolen. Further, the lock is provided inside the casing 21, and is not arranged outside the casing 21 unlike an attachment metal part. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the thickness dimension of the portable computer 41 from being increased, and prevent the portable computer 41 from becoming wobble.

In this case, the portable computer 41 further includes a locking member 29 provided so as to be slidably movable with respect to the casing 21, and the locking member 29 catches the accessory so as to prevent the accessory from being separated from the casing 21, or releases the accessory. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the accessory from being separated from the casing 21 in an unintended manner in a state where the latching section of the lock is at the second position P2.

The electronic apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the portable computer 11 or 41, and the present invention is applicable to other electronic apparatuses such as a personal digital assistant. Furthermore, the electronic apparatus can be variously modified within the scope not deviating from the gist of the invention so as to be implemented.

While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions. 

1. An electronic apparatus comprising: a casing with a through-hole and an edge for defining a periphery of the through-hole; an accessory configured to be detachable to the casing; a locking member configured to slide with respect to the casing, and configured to hold the accessory in order to prevent the accessory from being detached from the casing, or to release the accessory; and a wire with an anchor configured to catch the edge or to release the edge, wherein the through-hole is formed in the casing in such a manner that the anchor catching the edge is arranged at a midway position on the movement route of the locking member.
 2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the locking member comprises a finger hook to be hooked by a finger at the bottom of the casing; and the through-hole is formed on a side surface of the casing.
 3. The electronic apparatus of claim 2, wherein the locking member is arranged in the vicinity of the side surface of the casing.
 4. The electronic apparatus of claim 3, wherein the accessory is a battery pack.
 5. An electronic apparatus comprising: a casing with a through-hole; an accessory configured to be detachable to the casing; a lock inside the casing, comprising a latching section configured either to catch the accessory at a first position in order to prevent the accessory from being separated from the casing, or to release the accessory at a second position, a keyhole for causing the latching section to operate, and an edge defining a periphery of the keyhole; and a wire with an anchor passed through the through-hole, and configured to catch the edge, or release the edge, wherein the anchor is configured to move the latching section of the lock between the first position and the second position by catching or releasing the edge.
 6. The electronic apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a locking member configured to slide with respect to the casing, wherein the locking member is configured to catch the accessory in order to prevent the accessory from being separated from the casing, or to release the accessory.
 7. The electronic apparatus of claim 6, wherein the accessory is a battery pack. 